String instrument



Aug. 25, 1925. I 1,551,066

- G. SOMMERS.

STRING INSTRUMENT Filed Feb. 6, 1922 WITNESSES Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE SUMMERS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

STRING INSTRUMENT.

Application filed February 6, 1922. Serial No. 534,497.

To all whom it may con-0cm:

Be it known that I. GEORGE Soamnnzs, a citizen of the United States. andresident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in StringInstruments, of which the following is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of thisspecification.

The invention relates to string instruments and more particularly to theviolin or similar instruments, such as the viola, violoncello, bassViol, etc.

The object of the invention is to provide a bass-bar of novelconstruction and so associated with the belly or front of the instrumentas to prevent muffling of the tones emitted on the playing of the lowerstrings, so as to make the tones produced by the vibrations of suchstrings even, round and full, and which does not interfere with theproper operation of the resonant box when responding to the higherstrings.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of an instrument embodying theinvention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isa detail plan View of the underside of the front of the instrument: Fig.4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the numeral designates the sound-box of a violin oranalogous instrument comprising the usual arched back 6, the belly orfront 7 having the f-shaped sound holes 7, and the side walls 8connected to the back 6 and front 7. The neck 8, tail-piece 9 and bridge10 of the instrument are of usual construction.

The bass-bar comprises substantially straight portions 11 and a curvedinterme diate portion 12, secured on edge to the underside of the belly.This bar is preferably so positioned on the belly as to bring the curvedportion 12 in the waist region 18 only of the belly and preferably inplanes adjacent the vertical planes through the D and G strings of theinstrument as viewed in the drawing. The straight portions 11 are substantially in alinement with each other and extend substantiallyparallel to the grain of the wood of the belly so as not to interferewith the full vibrations of the sound-box. The crest 14 of the curvedportion is preferably located in the region. of the inner ends 15 of thesound-holes 7. I have found with this construction that all the tonesare free, that the D string is not muliled, as is the case with theusual violin construction, and the belly is properly reinforced in theregion of the G string. I preferably so locate the bar as to bring oneof the straight portions in line with the foot of the bridge on thatside of the belly along which said bar extends. This bass-bar may bemade of wood or other suitable material. The soundpost 16 is of usualconstruction.

The distance between the sound-holes varies and in some cases thiscurved intermediate portion may extend out below some of the otherstrings.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an instrument of the class described the combination with thesound-box, of a bass-bar having straight terminal portions and anintermediate curved portion secured to the belly of the box, said curvedportion being located in the waist portion only of said belly and beingarched inwardly from the edge of said belly and from a planeapproximately perpendicular to the general plane of the surface of thebelly.

2. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with thesoundboX having intermediately disposed spaced soundholes, of a bass-barhaving substantially alined straight terminal portions and an inte1mediate curved portion secured to the belly of the boX, said straightportions being disposed substantially in line with the grain of thebelly and in a plane approximately perpendicular to the general plane ofthe surface of the belly, and said curved portion being arched inwardlyfrom the edge of said belly and from the plane of the straight portionsand being located only in the waist portion of the belly with its crestin the region of the inner ends of the sound holes.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE SOLQIERS.

